Baby Branding: Spending $20 billion on toddlers

The baby business is booming with sales of $20 billion a year. Tapping into this industry requires that you know how parents think and finding new ways to get products in front of babies and toddlers. The Brand Show takes a look at brands that are taking advantage of this market and Deborah Small, professor of consumerism behavior at the University of Pennsylvania, helps the crew look into the minds of consumers and what motivates them to make these purchases.

Our Brand Rant looks at a trusted brand, Johnson & Johnson and their contraceptive patch, Ortho Evra. Women and families are suing the company because they claim that Johnson & Johnson did not adequately warn women of their increased risk of blood clots in their advertising and have suffered heart attacks, strokes and have even died. The Simpsons take the Brand Spotlight as the transformed 7-Elevens to Kwik-E-Marts have doubled in sales. How’s that for good work?

Teens & Tweens

Many marketers choose to ignore the teen and tween category of consumers because they are exceptionally hard to target. However, this age groups controls more of mom & dad’s budget than you might think. With the back-to-school season right around the corner, marketers are stepping up their game. We take a look at how some brands are connecting with the teen and tween generation.

Our Brand Rant looks at Northwest Airlines and how their pilot absenteeism has caused a PR nightmare with cancellations of flights. You’ll be rushing out to try the latest “functional” fruit drink at Jamba Juice as they tailor smoothies to consumer’s needs of being healthy in the Brand Spotlight.

The Latest Launches

As consumers we are introduced to new brands that promise to make our lives better and easier on a daily basis. Few of these brands fulfill our expectations or impact the market. So what does it take to make a successful brand launch? This show looks at the entire process of introducing a new product and checks out some of the latest launches making headlines.

Our Brand Rant evaluates Red Lobster’s new makeover to become more upscale. Running shoe, Saucony, makes the Brand Spotlight for its “manifesto” rebranding effort. Our special guest, Bill Buxton, explains his theory on why products fail and introduces his new book, Sketching User Experience.